Best of October 2014

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Oh and Happy Birthday Faj! You don’t look a day over 30…no but for real I hope I age as well as you have.

First of all, WOW. Thank you to everyone who stopped by THM on Wednesday for C’s guest post on THM’s analytics. So many of you visited that you actually crashed the blog! A huge thank you to Bluehost for getting it back up and running so quickly. It’s a good problem to have 🙂

To everyone who signed up for the Blog School Email list, welcome! I’ve got some awesome tips & tricks coming your way (Sunday you’ll be hearing from me about Pinterest’s new Smartfeed). For those of you who haven’t signed up, it’s not too late! Just add your email and click the “blogging tips & tricks” box below.

Email Address *

I am interested in:

Food/RecipesBlogging tips & tricks

Second of all, this might be the first month ever that I don’t start my best of post with “where the heck did this month go?”. October was loooooong. Amazing but long.

Lots has been happening in the Maven kitchen (side note: I almost just wrote “Fit Foodie Kitchen”…sometimes I forget that Lee and I write different blogs!). As you saw on Wednesday, the blog has been doing great so I’m working hard to continue bringing you content you love!

I’ve also been busy with some freelance projects as well as a few sneaky side-projects that I’ll tell you about in time. All in all, another fabulous month! Let’s recap…

Andddd once again all of your favourite recipes are sweet. I really can’t blame you. These Grain-Free Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are bomb. P.S. I totally spent my monthly food budget on almond butter because I’ve made these so many times.

Besides popcorn and granola, apple crumble is my food weakness. I could eat an entire tray, no problem. This Single-Serve Grain-Free Apple Crumble recipe prevents this from happening (okay…I totally make two batches at once…but still).

Guess what?! You totally defied C’s odds by making this post on Breaking Down THM’s Analytics the top post of that day! Remember, THM’s daily post is almost never the top post of that day. Two cookies for you!

While you were gorging on the sweets, I was eating all things savoury and loving it! I mean I ate chili, FOR BREAKFAST.

This salad: so gorgeous. Until it’s mixed…Funny story: I didn’t cut the squash into smaller chunks before mixing it and I think C thought I was trying to poison him when I fed this to him for dinner. He picked up a gigantic piece of acorn squash with his fork and said “WHAT IS THIS?” And then he ate two servings…

And because pomegranates and I are having a moment, these Charred Green Beans with Garlic and Pomegranate Seeds are being made every other day. Side note: I use this awesome video tutorial for de-seeding my pomegranate, but Julia took it and made it MUCH prettier so follow her directions: HERE.

I still have not gotten over the genius that is cracking an egg onto chili. Although I admit I’m somewhat ashamed that I posted this as a recipe since it really is just my One-Pot Beef and Three-Bean Chili with an egg on top…oh and cheese 🙂

I’m convinced that if Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes were people, they would be best friends. They just get on so well together and especially in this soup!

I’ll admit that lately I’ve been missing chatting with you. It was nice to post something beyond the food. Hoping to have more of these posts in the future!

I love hearing from you guys when you try a recipe or read a post that you love! Whether it be in a comment, an email, a tag on Instagram or a viral Pin, I see them and they totally make my day! I’m convinced that THM readers are the ultimate. Here’s some of your current favs…

Avocado Tuna Salad

No-Bake Cinnamon Roll Protein Bars

Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Gingerbread Granola Bars

Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Drumsticks

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Blondies

Hearty Lentil & Swiss Chard Soup

Apple Cinnamon Protein Breakfast Cookies

5 Investments Worth Making For Your Blog

-FINALLY a trip to San Francisco! I feel like I’ve been talking about this trip since I started the blog and now it’s here! I’ll be gone for 10 days which includes American Thanksgiving. I cannot begin to explain my excitement!

-A certain sassy Australian is coming for a visit. Let’s see if I can keep up with The Big Man.

-Naturally the above will make for some great non-food related content, which I’m hoping to have more of around here. I love me some food but lately I’ve been wanting to talk about other things…

-Including how I’ve secretly become a hippie without any of you noticing. Or maybe you have? I’ve slowly been transitioning to a chemical-free lifestyle for all of my beauty and home products. I figure if I don’t eat chemicals, why would I put them on my body? Also I oil pull…who AM I?

-Don’t worry, I’m not becoming a beauty and lifestyle blog! There will definitely still be lots of food around here including a round-up from my favourite ladies with some awesome Thanksgiving eats!

-More soup recipes, because I’m obsessed.

What were your October highlights? What are you looking forward to in November?

JOIN THE THM NEWSLETTER

Join 5000+ members of the THM Community to get access to exclusive recipes, healthy lifestyle tips and behind-the-scenes news from our team!

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

First Name

Email Address

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

October was long? Nooooo way — it went by -crazy- fast. I’m seriously hoping that November is a little slower because I lost my head somewhere in October and I’m still looking to find it. And congrats on all the blog success, lady! Definitely well earned 🙂Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…. monthly favourites – october 2014 .

Ahhh October was insane. Seriously. I think I’m looking forward to establishing a routine (and, and finding a job) in November! And a big CONGRATS on crashing the blog (is that a weird thing to say?) with all of your and C’s awesomeness. I’m so excited for blog school!Sam @ Better With Sprinkles recently posted…Five Things Friday 10/31/14.

So clearly October was too busy cuz I missed the Acorn Squash Salad. Blasphemy.
Also, #KaleYeah! I can’t wait for Big Man fuelled updates. Sensing epic adventures/stories
Finally, my eyes almost popped out my head when I read the becoming a hippie thing cuz I was JUST thinking that about myself this morning. Weird much?
p.s. oil pulling freaks me out. tried it once and thought I was gonna choke. Probably need someone with First Aid certs around if I ever try it again…GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth recently posted…Rolled Oats vs. Bread Crumbs: A Food Fight

You’re going to have to much fun in San Fran! It’s an amazing city. November is going to be crazy for me – I just started recruiting participants for my clinical trial. Wanna be a guinea pig?Melissa @ Mango About Town recently posted…Friday Favourites + Weekly Reads

It’s really great to see how your blog evolves and how you build your career! It’s truly inspiring! I do my best to support you (because this is one of my favourite blogs!) By pinning, tweeting and making your recipes and sharing them in my instagram: the avocado tuna salad is my list!
The highlight of my October is definitely my 3 week vacation in southern California!! Which included a long weekend in San Francisco. It was awesome! You will love that city! And say hi to Arman from me 😀
November is back to school month for me. I hope I won’t struggle to much with maths. Fingers crossed!